Library books plays for younger readers

SAN ANGELO, Texas - I am currently enjoying the opportunity to work with Be Theatre again on its second annual Literature Alive! production. When Be Theatre's founder and artistic director, Elena Kent, started her company in 2011, she wanted a way to give back to the community and chose Literature Alive! productions to bring full-length plays to life for pre-readers and young children in free public performances.

Literature Alive! encourages young children to read by captivating them in the experience of a live production performed by older youth and adults. Kent uses the magic of theater to inspire a love for reading by giving each child a book of a similar title to take home and be reminded of the enchanting play and associate it with the book and reading.

I enjoy working on this project so much because of Kent and her staff. They are energetic, creative and positively happy. These attributes come right from their mission:

"Be Theatre Company provides an enriching environment of learning that develops the whole artist in faith, mind and spirit. The primary focus of classes, workshops and productions is the process rather than the product. Through the process of arts, valuable life lessons are learned such as tolerance, communication, problem-solving skills, cooperation, respect for one's self and others, humility, and compassion. Through the creative spirit, artists are encouraged to maintain an open mind, speak from the heart and share talents that will inspire positive change both in self and community."

This mission shows in all that Be Theatre does and the library is proud to partner again with them for Literature Alive!

It will welcome families to attend nine free performances of "The House on Pooh Corner" the first two weekends in May. Seating is limited to the first 150, so come early.

You may recall that last year four performances of "Raggedy Ann" were filled to capacity with many turned away. So the number of performances has more than doubled.

For information and performance times, call 325-655-3721 or visit the library website at tgclibrary.com.

Have you noticed the library's new website? It has a different look and provides much more information, photos and links. When I talk with people in the community they are surprised to learn about all that the library provides and what can be done from home via the website. On the home page there is a little black house in silhouette. Click on that for a list of services to access from home. You can renew books, take care of your account, put books on hold and more.

The other thing that surprises people is that the library has books in audio and digital formats that you can download from home to iPads, iPods, e-readers, computers, smartphones and MP3 players.

The material stays on your device for two weeks and then goes away, so you will never have a late fee. There are downloading tutorials on the website for a variety of devices. If you need help, call or come by the library.